Bipartisan legislation that proposes the installation of solar panels in schools across Pennsylvania awaits a vote in the state Senate.

The Solar for Schools bill aims to combat climate change and invest in education. Fewer than 2% of Pennsylvania's nearly 7,000 schools are powered by solar energy.

Mick Iskric is superintendent of Steelton-Highspire School District, which has a 42-acre urban school campus that serves more than 1,300 students from low-income families. He explained that, after partnering with McClure Company to install solar panels, the district now sees a monthly credit on its electric bill.

Iskric is convinced the legislation would be a game-changer for school districts in the Commonwealth.

"And then ultimately, all that savings, what we're trying to do is get more funding to offset our expenses and get more programming for students," Iskric said. "So, the more money I save, the more support I can get directly into the classroom."

According to Iskric, the district has achieved 100% reliance on solar power for its electricity, and will save an estimated $1.6 million over the next 20 years.

In the meantime, the Inflation Reduction Act offers access to clean-energy tax credits, with an emphasis on reaching disadvantaged populations and communities with environmental-justice concerns.

Iskric also noted the district has recently received seven electric school buses through the EPA's Clean School Bus Grant Program, which will be in the fleet for the 2024-2025 school year. He asserted that Steelton-Highspire is the only district in the country which transports students with 100% electric buses, charged with solar energy.

"We're looking to expand if this bill comes through," he posited, "and I'd really love for some community solar to come through along with it or down the road, so that homeowners can offset their electric bills -- really try to tie the school to the community, community to the school."

Iskric also suggested a prospective plan to assist teachers in the region by offering free electric car charging for district employees, and implementing other incentives to attract new talent. He acknowledged that, while innovation is a driving force behind these initiatives, it is also a necessity to address staffing challenges.

The Pennsylvania State Senate is set to reconvene Dec. 11.

This story was based on original reporting by Audrey Carleton for Capital & Main.

As outdoor recreation picks up for summer, a clean-water advocacy group reminds people that some fish around Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River are not safe to eat due to high levels of pollutants.

The "do not eat" advisory spans about a mile from the dam upriver to Ruckle Creek.

The area was used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for chemical storage and waste disposal for decades, starting in the 1930s.

As a result, resident fish there contain some of the highest levels of the cancer-causing chemicals known as PCBs in the country.

Kate Murphy, senior community organizer with Columbia Riverkeeper, said the Army Corps of Engineers hasn't prioritized the cleanup.

"It's taken a lot of outside pressure," said Murphy, "from the Confederated Bands and Tribes of Yakama Nation and other tribes, as well as environmental groups like Columbia Riverkeeper, to get this site listed as a Superfund site."

Murphy explains migratory fish - like salmon, steelhead, and shad - are still safe to eat from the area because they're not feeding in the polluted water all year.

The species that are not safe to eat include carp, bass, sturgeon and several others. Murphy said the Oregon Health Authority website has more details.

Part of the problem, said Murphy, is that there isn't enough data yet to know how to make a thorough cleanup.

She said now that the area has been designated a Superfund site, the Environmental Protection Agency will oversee the Army Corps' efforts.

"We are pushing for a thorough investigation of the nature and extent of the contamination," said Murphy, "to make sure that it's done right and that people then can feel confident fishing and recreating in this area."

Murphy said it is important that the agencies involved know people care about the issue.

She added there is a petition -- online at ColumbiaRiverKeeper.org -- they can sign to demand a swift and thorough cleanup of the site.

"People really deserve clean water and healthy fish that they can safely feed to their families," said Murphy. "And the toxic legacy at Bonneville Dam must be addressed."

As Oregon legislators consider the possibility of allowing a nuclear reactor in Umatilla County, opponents rallied at the State Capitol this week to voice their concerns.

In 1980, Oregon voters approved Measure 7, a statewide ban on building new nuclear reactors. But House Bill 2410 would exempt Umatilla County from the ban and allow local voters to decide on building a small modular reactor.

Kelly Campbell, policy director of the environmental advocacy group Columbia Riverkeeper, said what the state actually needs is more clean energy alternatives.

"This is a new program that costs new money that we don't have," Campbell contended. "Especially with this kind of budget forecast, the idea of wasting money on a 'pie in the sky' nuclear fantasy when really, we need more solar, more wind, more battery storage, more energy efficiency."

On Monday environmental groups, tribal leaders and northeast Oregon community groups held a No Nuclear Day of Action, including meetings with state legislators.

Small modular reactors are built in factories then shipped to sites. They typically produce 300 megawatts or fewer of electricity per unit. Industry experts cited their lower cost over existing gigawatt-scale reactors. But a 2022 study found the units produce a greater volume of waste, which is also more reactive.

The bill would allow high-level radioactive waste to be stored on site so long as the federal operating license is in force. It does not resolve the issue of permanent storage. Campbell noted Umatilla County is already one of the most polluted places in the state.

"It is somewhat of a sacrifice zone," Campbell stressed. "It's seen as a place that you could do things like this.
It's a place where people have nitrates in their drinking water, way over the EPA limits. It's a place where things get dumped."

Measure 7 forbids new nuclear reactors until two conditions are met: a national waste repository has been built and Oregon voters statewide approve a new nuclear plant site certificate.

Two coal plants in Arkansas have received an exemption from the Trump administration and will have two additional years to comply with updated clean air regulations.

As part of an amendment to the Clean Air Act, former President Joe Biden required additional limits on mercury, lead, arsenic and other toxins be in place by 2027. President Donald Trump has given 68 coal plants an additional two years to comply.

Tony Mendoza, senior staff attorney for the Sierra Club, said while Trump is within his constitutional rights, the move is perplexing.

"The president is allowed to extend compliance for two years if he finds that the technology to reduce the emissions is not available and there's a national security interest," Mendoza explained. "I don't think allowing these Arkansas plants to emit more mercury into the air is a national security concern."

The exemptions come on the heels of a Trump executive order to boost coal production. The two Arkansas locations are the White Bluff plant between Little Rock and Pine Bluff and the Plum Point plant in Northeast Arkansas. The White Bluff plant is scheduled for retirement in 2029.

Members of the Sierra Club said they will urge plant operators to curb the pollutants coming from the facilities. Mendoza noted research has shown exposure to pollutants is responsible for countless deaths, heart attacks and asthma.

"More mercury in fish, more mercury in water, more advisories against eating fish in certain rivers and streams and lakes," Mendoza outlined. "Mercury is a serious neurotoxin that causes harm to newborn children. Babies are at harm if their mother is exposed to too much mercury."

The Trump administration invited power plants to apply for the exemption. The president also wants to exempt coal mining projects from environmental reviews, remove restrictions stopping companies from mining coal on federal lands and require the Energy Department to provide funds to support developing coal technologies.